Flexibility key as Deakin staff members hit 40 years service

Today, Monday 5 July, will be a day of celebration for two "rare" Deakin University staff members, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law, Chris Kelly and Accounting Systems Manager, Wayne Myers (OAM).

The two men, who are both based at the University's Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds, will receive awards for 40 years service with the "University and its antecedent institutions" along with 39 other staff members who will be presented with awards for 25 years service or above.

Apart from their length of tenure - 40 years service with one organisation being a rarity in the world of today's mobile workforce - both Mr Kelly and Mr Myers have achieved this milestone by having been 'founding' staff members of the University that was established in 1974 and which formally began teaching its academic programs in 1977.

Mr Kelly joined the teaching staff of the Gordon Institute when teaching was best described as a 'chalk and talk' delivery mode and Mr Myers joined the Gordon at a time when computers had a room of their own and were making inroads into business processes.

Both Mr Myers and Mr Kelly cite flexibility and an ability to cope with and engage with change as key attributes to working in any organisation for a long time.

"Sometimes length of service can be a hindrance, because you see things that have been done before but the value of past experience is that you can refer to it and say these were the reasons why it was a problem and look at how you can overcome that," Mr Myers said.

Mr Kelly, who commenced his professional career as a corporate auditor said working at the University for such a long time had been challenging and exciting.

More about Mr Myer's time at Deakin:

Mr Myers ensured the University's financial management systems kept up with its growth.

"I originally planned to be a proper accountant," Mr Myers reflected.

"But I was in the final year of a business course at the Gordon when they asked me to do the computing unit as an extra subject.

"From there I was asked to apply for a job to set up their administrative systems and I did so because it sounded interesting. I have never really worked as a proper accountant since."

Mr Myers designed the finance system for the Gordon and after Deakin was established designed the University's first early computerised finance system. When the University decided to make the transition to the Oracle Financials System, he worked on the implementation and ensuing upgrades and enhancements to the system.

"I enjoy it, seeing how people can use the system and also helping them use the system to get what they want," he said.

Mr Myers said one of the other major changes during his time with the University was the growth of the University's campus in Waurn Ponds.

"When I came here it was just a bare paddock, it has really changed," he said. "The growth gives you a different perspective."

Mr Myers was recently awarded an OAM in the Queen's Birthday Honours for his contribution to scouting. Mr Myers is the District Commissioner for the city portion of Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula and has been a scout leader for 44 years.

"I often say I am leaving my full-time job here and going to a full-time job outside, but I enjoy it and I'm not ready to retire," he said.

More about Mr Kelly's time at Deakin:

Mr Kelly has found his time at the University challenging and exciting.

"When I look back at the Faculty Deans I have worked with over the past 35 years, there has been a cycle where each Dean has come into that role with a particular focus on what needs to be achieved during their term of office and I have been part of those aspirations," he said.

"For example, under the leadership of Professor David Lethbridge, the founding Dean of the Faculty, I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to belong to the original academic teams.

"These academic teams were largely drawn from former Gordon Institute staff and developed and delivered course materials and study guides for the Deakin off-campus (distance education) MBA program, a world first, in the early 1980s.

"This was a challenging assignment but an achievement that the Faculty continues to benefit from to this day, some 25 years later."

Mr Kelly said under the Deanship of Dr Hugh Moore, the Faculty was engaged with Deakin Australia, now known today as DeakinPrime. DeakinPrime, is the corporate education arm of Deakin University.

"Dr Moore, Faculty staff and DeakinPrime, together, were pioneers in developing corporate education partnerships that today reach some 50,000 people each year," he said.

Mr Kelly said that when the Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education merged with Deakin University in 1990, a significant initiative under the leadership of the then Dean of the Faculty, Professor Peter Wolnizer, was to 'fold' the myriad of Diploma and undergraduate Degree programs of the two institutions into one common undergraduate degree – Bachelor of Commerce.

"This model was the basis on which the merger with Victoria College was subsequently negotiated in 1991," he said.

"The wisdom of this decision and the strength of the model continues to be evident in 2010.

"I was indeed fortunate to be the Director of the Undergraduate Bachelor of Commerce program from 1988 to 1992, during which time so much of this initiative was undertaken and completed.

"It was an exciting period to engage in curriculum development and mould together all the different versions of undergraduate programs, paring them down to one common program."

Mr Kelly said Professor Philip Clarke, now the University's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), was Faculty Dean during the phenomenal growth of International student enrolments into Faculty programs.

"International enrolments continue to be a significant component in demonstrating the Faculty's commitment to internationalising Faculty graduate and undergraduate programs," he said.

"Providing all our students with an international learning experience contributes to their making a global career after graduation.

"The current Dean, Professor Gael McDonald has given me the opportunity to participate in the quality assurance processes of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) better known as the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS).

"Both bodies are about advancing quality management education worldwide.

"Achieving both accreditation processes will confirm the quality of the business and management education programs of the Faculty.

"There has been immense change and with the changes has come challenges and I have been able to engage in those challenges.

"The key is having a good ability to cope with change and having a good deal of flexibility in both thinking and behaviour."

Mr Kelly said he had a range of experiences, unlikely to be experienced elsewhere and had also come to appreciate the value of Deakin's heritage and corporate memory.

"I often reflect on how many recently appointed academic staff know the history and rich tertiary education heritage of Deakin University," he said.

"This heritage was originally fashioned out of the merger with the Gordon Institute of Technology and the State College of Victoria (Geelong) with subsequent mergers with the Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education in 1990 and the then Victoria College in 1991.

"It is a history that ought to be better known by us all."